Characterization of radioiodinated recombinant human TGF-beta 1 binding to bone matrix within rabbit skull defects.

Bone healing is regulated in part by the local production of TGF-beta 1 and other growth factors produced by cells at the site of injury. The single application of recombinant human TGF-beta 1 (rhTGF-beta 1) to calvarial defects in rabbits induces an accelerated recruitment and proliferation of osteoblasts within 3 days. This ultimately results in the formation of new bone and the complete closure of the defect within 28 days. The persistence and localization of [125I]rhTGF-beta 1 within an osseous defect was investigated after applying a single dose of [125I]rhTGF-beta 1 formulated in a 3% methylcellulose vehicle. Normal bone encompassing the defect site, the periosteum, and the gel film covering the dura were harvested at 0, 4, 8, and 24 h and 3, 7, and 16 days after [125I]rhTGF-beta 1 application. The defect site-associated radioactivity was quantitated, visualized by autoradiography, and characterized by TCA precipitation and SDS-PAGE. Radioactivity was observed in autoradiographs of gross specimens, histologic sections of the bone matrix, and periosteal tissue surrounding the defect. There was a time-dependent decrease in TCA-precipitable radioactivity; however, radioactivity was still associated with the bone matrix 16 days after application of [125I]rhTGF-beta 1. SDS-PAGE and autoradiography of the radioactivity in homogenized bone and periosteal samples revealed a 25 kD band, suggesting that the radioactivity remaining at the defect site represented intact [125I]rhTGF-beta 1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)